


Into the Millennium

by HoneyBeez



Category: Backstreet Boys
Genre: 1990s, Angst, Europe, Into the Millennium Tour, M/M, POV Female Character, POV Original Character, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-08 12:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8845789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyBeez/pseuds/HoneyBeez
Summary: Just prior to the 'Into the Millennium' tour kicking off in June 1999, Brian and Nick take a holiday together.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aeiouna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeiouna/gifts).



Esperanza had to admit that she would have had a terribly boring summer that year had the two men not shown up when they did. The summer had been unusually quiet for her, and she was actually a little insulted when she realised that the hotel was only three-quarters full, instead of over-flowing, as it usually was in August. After all, it was summer! Majorca was always overcrowded with tourists in the summer! But this year, numbers seemed to be down. And she wasn’t the only hotelier to notice the change.

But boredom quickly turned to excitement and great interest from the moment the blonde man and his curly-haired friend walked through her door.

“Hi there!” the curly-haired man said. “Uh, do you speak English?” he asked uncertainly, grunting slightly when his friend whacked him on the arm, hissing something at him. “What? I didn’t mean to offend her!” he said indignantly to his friend. He turned back to Esperanza. “I’m sorry if I offended you.” he said.

Esperanza smiled. “No offence taken, sir,” she replied. “And yes, I do speak English.”

“Ah ha!” the curly-haired man said to his friend. “See! She does!”

The blonde man rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to excuse my friend, senora. He’s an idiot.”

Esperanza immediately started to laugh, both from amusement and relief, which only caused the other man to look at his friend warily. “Nick!”

The blonde man – Nick – smiled. “Oh, don’t get your panties in a twist, Brian,” he said tolerantly, winking at Esperanza. “We were wondering, senora…”

“Senorita.” Esperanza cut in. _Oh god, am I hitting on this man?_ Not that he wasn’t gorgeous, although he couldn’t be more than nineteen or twenty. Tall and handsome, his hair was shockingly blonde, particularly compared to the reddish curls of his equally attractive friend. Not that she could really see this Brian’s face, as he was wearing sunglasses. But she doubted he was any more than perhaps a couple of years older than his friend.

But, sunglasses or not, she could see they were both attractive in the way that film stars and musicians and underwear models are. If she didn’t already know better, she could be forgiven for thinking that all Americans looked like this. But her brother Mateo had lived in California for years with his lovely Swedish partner, Chris, before they decided they wanted to raise their family in Scandinavia.

_“You must come and live here, Esp! You’d love it here. Sure, it’s cold, but they’re planning for the future like no one else!”_

She loved visiting them, wherever they lived; they were currently trying to convince her to visit in the late summer. So in her travels Esperanza had seen plenty of ‘real’ Americans up close. They didn’t all look anywhere near this good.

The two men both also looked rather stressed, as many Americans do, although she supposed that could be down to the jetlag. Americans seemed to have terrible trouble adjusting to new time zones, far more than people from far further away seemed to.

Nick smiled, and started again. “We were wondering, senorita, if you had a room to spare. We know this is terribly short notice, but my moron of a friend here,” he said, pointing to Brian. “Dragged me onto a plane with about twenty minutes notice, so we haven’t had time to arrange accommodation. Now, we know this is a big ask, but-”

“How long do you need the room for?” Esperanza cut in again.

“For a week, please,” Nick said. “So, as I said, we know this a big ask, but-”

“The room is yours.” Esperanza said. “I will give you room 18. It is on the second floor and has a private balcony and a view of the water.” She told Nick. “And you, sir,” she said to Brian. “You would like room 20, which is next door t-”

“Oh, no. One room is fine.” Brian cut in, obviously without thinking, as his face quickly turned a little green. “Uh, that is, I…um…” he began fiddling with the crucifix around his neck and looked helplessly at Nick, who was actually going red. “Uh…”

Esperanza had to hide her amusement.

“Room 18 has a king size bed.” she offered, and couldn’t help smiling when both men went even redder in the face. She knew it was mean of her, but she was having fun making these two squirm. “Very comfortable, too.” she added. But she smiled gently after a moment. “Two king size beds, actually. It is a suite with two bedrooms.”

Both men looked immediately relieved. “That…uh, that’s what I meant, you know.” Brian said as she gave him the key while Nick signed the book for the both of them. “You know, double suite and all that.”

Esperanza smiled. “I knew what you meant, sir. No use you two boys being on top of each other in bed, now is there?” she asked innocently, as both men started laughing…a little nervously, Esperanza thought. She smiled to herself as she watched the two men take their bags upstairs.

* * *

Esperanza was busy with her tax return forms when the two men came back down the stairs three hours later, both looking a little red in the face. _Must be the heat_ …Esperanza thought to herself as the two men approached her.

They did however look far more relaxed than when they had first arrived., that nervous tension seemed to have dissipated, although perhaps not entirely.

“Ah, senorita,” the blonde one asked her – what was his name again? Nick?

“Si, senor?”

“Um, Brian and I were wondering if you could tell of us of any nice cafés or restaurants in the area?” he asked. “I’m afraid that airline food isn’t terribly filling.”

Esperanza smiled. _He really is very attractive_ …now if only his friend would take those sunglasses off so I could get a good look at him…

“Oh, yes, there are many of those.” Esperanza replied. “Just two streets over in that direction,” – she said, motioning with her hand to the street she was referring to – “is the main restaurant district in the area. They have all sorts of places there. I’m sure you’ll find something suited to your American tastes.”

Brian smiled, as if he were greatly amused. “I’m sure we will. Thank you, ma’am.”

Nick rolled his eyes at Brian. “Thank you, senorita.” He said, before grabbing Brian’s arm and dragging him out of the room and out onto the street.

* * *

It was well after midnight when Esperanza saw the two men again. They were standing in the hallway outside the door to their suite, and obviously were not aware of the fact that someone was watching.

Brian finally had his sunglasses off, and Esperanza found herself smiling. He had beautiful blue eyes, not unlike those of his friend.

Nick was fumbling with the keys, giggling as Brian leaned against him, evidently trying to weave a story but failing miserably as he kept dissolving into giggles.

Nick looked up, speaking quietly to Brian, their faces close together. They were smiling, and swaying slightly, as if to music only they could hear. They looked happy, and content. If Esperanza didn’t know better, she could have sworn that their faces were familiar…had she seen them somewhere before?

But that thought evaporated almost as quickly as it appeared. Nick finally got the door open, and it swayed open with a squeak and sent them tumbling inside onto the floor, which set them both giggling again.

Esperanza smiled. _Boys will be boys,_ she thought.

* * *

Really, Esperanza couldn’t have asked for more agreeable guests that the two Americans. They were quiet, especially for Americans. They left good tips. They were polite. They were insistent that they would take care of and pick up after themselves during their stay, dispelling the need for room service.

She also found them rather entertaining to observe. Esperanza had long loved people watching. She found you could tell many things about people and their private thoughts and dreams by watching them on holidays, when they tended to let their guard down.

But that’s also what made these two interesting. They appeared to be used to keeping their guard – almost an act or persona, of sorts – up at all times. Even in the relative privacy of the hotel foyer, they seemed prepped to bring their guards back up a mere moment’s notice. On the few occasions they left the hotel, they always left in hats and sunglasses, no matter if the sun was out or not.

Esperanza began to wonder if her thoughts that first night had been correct. Perhaps these men did hold a level of fame back at home. With her schedule, she hardly had time to keep up with popular culture anymore, but she was beginning to believe that, if these men weren’t celebrities of some sort, they certain bore startling resemblances to some people who were.

People she admittedly couldn’t place, but she was sure they were famous. For something or other.

But really all celebrities were good for were big tips. And the two men certainly specialised in those.

Some neighbouring hoteliers had tried to make extra money every so often by selling stories to the tabloids about famous guests, but Esperanza found that crass and un-Christian, to say the least.

She also knew more than one hotelier who ended up with far less business and more one very expensive defamation lawsuit on their hands as a result. So it was all far more trouble than it was worth.

Besides, both men had certainly excelled in giving her and her staff extremely generous tips. Multiple times a day, in fact.

And watching the two men having a quiet drink together in the bar, deep in conversation, Esperanza had to admit they seemed very ‘normal’ compared to some of the rich and famous she had met over her life. They had no entourage, no fancy luggage, made no exorbitant demands. They just wanted each other’s company, which they were clearly revelling in, as they sat there together, eyes locked on each other, swirling with a deep happiness which single-handedly reminded Esperanza there was good in the world and in its people.

And these men obviously hadn’t come to the bar at 11am, when it was completely empty, and to drink coffee – of all things! – together, for no reason.

So she left them alone.

* * *

Esperanza hummed a quiet tune to herself as she walked down the long balcony of the hotel's top floor, carrying a basket of freshly laundered towels to a recently-vacated room. A flash of movement through not-quite-closed curtains caught her gaze and...

She saw the two American men.

On the bed.

Together.

_Naked._

Esperanza was so shocked that she nearly dropped her basket, which would no doubt have alerted the men to her presence. Although she wasn't sure if they would have noticed, engrossed in each other as they were, kissing each other hungrily, hands running everywhere. They were both sitting up, Brian in his friend’s lap, slowly moving up and down, fingers tangled in Nick’s shaggy blonde hair, his head falling back and eyes closing as Nick kissed and nibbled his neck.

With a blush, Esperanza realised the two men were making love. She should look away - _run_ away - but her feet seemed nailed to the floor.

“Yes…yes…” Brian hissed, a hand falling from Nick’s hair and onto his shoulder, fingernails digging into tanned skin as his body began to convulse. “Yes…baby…yes…don’t stop…”

“That’s it, Bri, that’s it…I’m here…”

Brian’s head fell back as he lost his connection to the Earth and shouted his pleasure to the Heavens and to God and to Nick himself.

The blonde’s lips stayed against his friend’s neck as the other man fell apart in his arms.

After a long pause, Brian leaned forward to kiss Nick deeply on the mouth, then drawing back, murmuring something to him Esperanza couldn’t hear. And within moments, Nick was crying out Brian’s name, following his friend down that path of release as Brian whispered into his ear.

Esperanza was a good Christian woman. She went to church and she believed Jesus Christ was her lord and saviour and that family was the most important thing in the world. But she also believed love was precious, and almost impossible to find.

She’d seen Mateo find love with Chris, after all, after years of loneliness and struggle. Chris was Mateo’s safe place, his guardian, his touchstone. Chris had saved Mat from himself.

Esperanza had known all this before she ever met Chris. She had prayed to God in thanks and worship for His kindness and wisdom in sending Chris to Mat.

So the fact that Chris was a man was neither here nor there.

Who was she to question His plan?

Shaking herself back to the present, Esperanza saw the two men were lying back on the bed now, wrapped in each other’s arms, talking quietly, smiling gently. Their eyes were alight with those same deep emotions as before, but with a strange tinge of sadness. Esperanza saw the sun’s dying rays pick up the gold of the crucifix around Brian’s neck and felt her heart clench. Why were they sad? Were they worried they’d committed an unforgivable sin?

She knew what it was like to have your own understanding of the world tilt so wildly it spun out of control.

But you have to trust in God.

She crept quietly away, horrified at having intruded upon their privacy more than enough. She sent a prayer up the Lord. _Please, help them…_

* * *

To her great annoyance, Esperanza was down at the market when the two men checked out the next morning.

But they did come up to her to say goodbye.

“Thank you,” they both said softly, shaking her hand.

She smiled warmly. “You are most welcome. Travel safe. And take care of each other.”

They looked at each other, before smiling in tandem and looking back at her. “We will.”

She tried her best not to feel sad as she watched their backs retreat.

 _The world never changes fast enough…_ she thought to herself.

But she had to smile when she saw how clean and tidy their suite was. And at the fat envelopes full of American dollars they had left for each of the staff.

Returning to her room, she picked up the phone to ring Mat and Chris. It was time to take them up on their offer to come and stay.

* * *

Esperanza was only in Stockholm for a grand total of seven and a half minutes before she was thoroughly convinced that she needed to immigrate there. The city – and it’s people – were astonishing in how  _progressive_ they were. It wasn’t perfect, of course, and it was colder than home, but people seemed far happier there than they did in Spain, sunshine be damned.

Chris’ younger sister, Amy, thrilled to have a new friend to show her hometown to, asked Esperanza if she wanted to go to a pop concert with her the following week.

“It’s totally sold out but our cousin’s sick, so we have a spare ticket if you’d like to join us,” she chirps.

Considering the last concert she’d gone to was more than a decade before, Esperanza was thrilled to say yes.

The music is her favourite kind: a mixture of pop and soft rock, with a few slower ballads mixed in.

They have seats fairly close to the front so Esperanza can both hear and see the performers – a band made up of five young men – fairly clearly. The three closest to her all have dark hair, one with a truly impressive spread of tattoos Amy tells her is called ‘AJ’. One speaks fluent Spanish, which tickles Esperanza.

“That’s Howie,” Amy breathes. “Isn’t he gorgeous?!”

The men all sing well and dance in unison, and only need to breathe for the crowd to go wild. She realises that she is familiar with many of the songs, but has to admit she had no idea they were all by one group prior to this. It is easy for Esperanza to join in on the joyful atmosphere, dancing and singing along with Amy.

Halfway through the show, Esperanza needs to go to the bathroom, and insists Amy stays and enjoys the show. She makes easy friends with other women in the line and chats effortlessly. Many of the other women are fascinated that Esperanza is relatively unfamiliar with the band.

“There’s a giant poster of them just around the corner,” a young girl tells Esperanza. “I’m sure you’ll recognise them if you check it out on your way back to your seat. You have to have seen them somewhere before!”

On her way out of the bathroom Esperanza turns the corner to see the poster.

Her breath catches in her throat.

Alongside the three dark haired men on the poster are a tall blonde man and a shorter man with curly, reddish hair.

“Aren’t they amazing?”

Esperanza looks down. The little girl is standing next to her, smiling dreamily at the poster.

“Nick’s almost everyone’s favourite, but Brian’s _my_ favourite, although he’s engaged to this lady, which is a bit lame, because I wanted to marry him!” she says excitedly. She looks back up at Esperanza. “Do you recognise them yet?”\

Esperanza smiles down at her, at her youthful exuberance, and takes a deep breath. Her heart clenches in her chest, aching for something that can never be.

She doesn’t even know where to begin.

“Yes, I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> FYI: This fic is set just prior to the beginning of, and then during, the 1999-2000 Into the Millennium Tour. The Backstreet Boys played in Stockholm on August 6 and 7, 1999 and the tour kicked off on June 2, 1999.
> 
> Happy Yuletide, my friend! I hope you liked this story. I wrote it to a soundtrack made up entirely of BSB songs, of course, and had a blast!


End file.
